Back In The Saddle
by MadscientistX
Summary: Picks up after "Justice." Will Adam let Shalimar get back to business as usual?


BACK IN THE SADDLE  
  
Rating: R – for violence and language  
  
Genre: Action  
  
Summary: Picks up where "Justice" left off. Shalimar wants to get back in action. Will Adam let her?  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Mutant X. Tribune Entertainment owns the rights to these characters. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
Story by: madscientistX  
  
  
  
  
  
Shalimar woke up to the sound of her alarm clock blasting away. Reaching over she turned it off. She then rolled over and draped her arm over Brennan's sleeping form next to her. He stirred and then rolled over to face her, giving her a quick kiss. "Good morning," he said with a smile.  
  
"Good morning," she said as she stroked his hair. "You sleep okay?"  
  
"Like a baby." He kissed the tip of her nose, making her smile. "So are you excited?"  
  
"About?"  
  
Brennan motioned to the cast on her arm, "Getting your cast off today. I know how itchy those damn things can be. I broke my arm when I was eight."  
  
"And how did you do that? Or should I ask?"  
  
"I fell out of my tree house. We'd just built it a week before." Brennan gave a slight chuckle. "What's funny is that before my dad built it he made me promise to be careful not to fall out of it."  
  
"Good move, Tarzan," Shalimar laughed.  
  
Brennan got up from the bed. "We better get dressed. Adam said he wanted us in at nine sharp."  
  
Shalimar watched him as he walked towards the bathroom and then got up. "I'll start the coffee."  
  
Brennan peeked his head out of the bathroom. "Well, if you hurry then maybe you can catch a quick shower." She smiled coyly at him. "Hey, might as well conserve water. Right?"  
  
"Right. Give me two minutes," she said as she dashed into the kitchen.  
  
  
  
  
  
MUTANT X HEADQUARTERS  
  
After Adam's brief meeting with the team, Adam escorted Shalimar to the medical unit. She took a seat on one of the black recliner chairs and watched Adam as he got out some equipment to take off her cast. "So when do you think I'll be back in action?" she asked as he began to saw away at the cast.  
  
He didn't answer her right away. He concentrated on getting the cast off and not cutting down too far. The cast split in two and he turned the saw off, placing it on a near by table. He carefully lifted her arm out of it, wiping the dust off. "Should be good as new. One quick scan and we'll see." He programmed something into the computer beside him and then had her place her arm inside a small box-like device. After a few seconds the box beeped. "Okay. You can take your arm out." She pulled her arm out and he moved the box back onto the counter. Checking out the scanner screen he smiled. "Yep. Good as new. It set perfectly."  
  
Shalimar smiled back at him as she rubbed her arm. "Great! Because I'm not sure I could have worn that thing for another minute." She watched as he set up another machine and then her chair began to recline.  
  
"I'm going to do a scan on your shoulder and ribs to see how they're coming along. Then I can give you an answer as to when you can get back to business as usual." He pressed buttons and flicked switches quickly, noticing a disappointed look on her face. The machine scanned over her torso and then buzzed, signaling its completion. Shalimar's chair began to rise back up and she remained seated as Adam studied the scan.  
  
Adam clicked some more buttons, zooming in on the pictures he was viewing. She held her breath and hoped everything was okay. It was always hard to read Adam's feelings by just looking at his face. He shut off the machines and slowly walked over to her. He reached out and placed his hand over her ribs, massaging them gently. "Your ribs are healing nicely. I don't feel or see anything out of place. Are they sore at all? Have you had any discomfort in the past few days?"  
  
"No. Nothing."  
  
He walked behind her and then reached out and began rubbing her left shoulder. He rubbed deeply and she gasped. "Sorry," he said. "Your shoulder is still taking it's time to heal and isn't quite there yet. The back of your shoulder where we took the bullet out seems to be healing faster than the entrance wound. But that's understandable seeing as the entrance wound is bigger than the incision we made on your back." Adam patted her on the shoulder and sighed. "I'm afraid you're still going to have to sit on the side lines for a while."  
  
"Adam. Please. I'm fine, really."  
  
Adam looked at her disappointed face. He held his hand up above her head. "Touch my hand with your left hand."  
  
Shalimar shook her head. "Adam. Come on. Is this really necessary? Why don't you believe me when I tell you that I'm fine?"  
  
"Touch it."  
  
Shalimar sighed and looked away from him for a moment. She blew out a breath and then began lifting her arm towards his. He watched the struggle on her face as she neared his hand but she did touch it. She quickly brought it back down by her side. "There. Happy now?" She felt her shoulder start to throb but didn't dare rub it. She didn't want Adam to know she was in pain.  
  
"I'm sorry, Shalimar. But you're just not ready. And since you're left- handed, all the more reason to make sure your shoulder is fully healed before you get back into the swing of things." He walked away from her and went over to one of the computers.  
  
"I can't sit here and do nothing every day. It's so damn boring. The team needs me."  
  
Adam turned back to her. "I know they do. But these things take time. I just don't want you to get hurt again." He lowered his head, hiding the tears that were falling from his eyes.  
  
Shalimar got up and went over to him. "You can't shield me from the world, Adam. I have to get back out there."  
  
"I know," he said as he kept his head down.  
  
She placed her hand under his chin and raised his head. "I know you're just looking out for me and I appreciate it. We all appreciate how you've taken care of us. But being overprotective isn't going to help."  
  
"Like I said, I just don't want to see you get hurt again. That night tore my insides out when we got to you in that boxcar. I thought for sure we were going to lose you before we made it to the medical unit." He reached out and touched her cheek. "You were so cold. Your blood was everywhere."  
  
A tear fell from Shalimar's eye as she listened to him. He wiped it away and then moved closer to her, putting his lips over hers. They kissed for a split second before she backed away from him. "Adam," she said as she put a hand to her lips.  
  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. It's just that…I…"  
  
Shalimar cut him off. "We can't. I'm sorry." She left the room and hurried off down the hall. Meanwhile, Adam stayed in the room in silence, reflecting on what he had just done.  
  
  
  
  
  
Later that night at her apartment, Shalimar heard a knock at her door. She answered it and found Brennan standing there with a brown paper bag. He held it up. "Hope you haven't eaten yet because I've got Chinese food."  
  
She smiled as she kissed him. "Nope. I haven't eaten yet and I'm starving."  
  
They went into the kitchen and Brennan began unpacking the bag as Shalimar got utensils and a couple of Cokes from the fridge. "So where'd you disappear to today? I thought you were coming with us to the simulation training this afternoon." Brennan took a seat and began opening the containers.  
  
Shalimar sat down across from him and grabbed one of the containers. "Well, Adam seems to think that I'm not ready for that yet."  
  
"But I thought it was all set?"  
  
"I umm, I kinda didn't ask him about it. Just assumed that he'd let me participate. That was until this morning when he decided to do a scan and all this other bullshit."  
  
Brennan swallowed some of his food before he spoke. "What do you mean? You're okay, right?"  
  
Shalimar took a sip of her Coke to wash down her food. "I told him I'm fine, because I am. But he says my shoulder isn't completely healed yet."  
  
"Well, I don't mean to disagree with you but I'm sure if Adam did a scan and said you're not ready then maybe…"  
  
Shalimar stopped eating and stared at Brennan. "Come on. What the fuck? Is everyone against me or what?"  
  
Brennan put his fork down and reached out for her hand. "I'm sorry. I'm not against you."  
  
"He's just being way too overprotective," she said as she stabbed at her food.  
  
Brennan rubbed her hand. "Maybe. But I think his intentions are honest. I mean, none of us want to see you hurt."  
  
Shalimar looked up at him and didn't dare tell him that Adam kissed her. "I know. I know. I just…I just want to get back to normal. I hate people fussing all over me. I'm not a child."  
  
Brennan got up and walked behind her. He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "We know you're not a child. It's just that we all care about you." He kneeled down next to her and stroked her left arm. "Have you been having problems with your shoulder?" She sighed and looked the other way. "You know you can tell me. I won't tell Adam."  
  
Shalimar got up and walked into the living room. She stared out the window as she nervously nibbled on her fingernail. Brennan walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around towards him. He could see the tears in her eyes as she nodded. He hugged her and then led her over to the couch where he sat her down and kneeled before her. "It's only been a few weeks, Shal. Give it time."  
  
"I know," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "But I'm just afraid that it's not going to get better and I'm going to be useless to the team. I don't want to let any of you down."  
  
"You're not going to let any of us down. You never have and you never will." He leaned close to her and kissed her on the cheek. He leaned back and expected to see a smile on her face but didn't see one. "What's the matter, Shal?"  
  
She started to cry again. "If I tell you something you have to promise not to tell anyone."  
  
Brennan raised his right hand. "I swear. I won't tell a soul."  
  
Shalimar prepared herself before she began to speak. "I killed him."  
  
Brennan's brow creased. "Who?" But just as he said it he then realized whom she was talking about.  
  
"You don't seem shocked."  
  
"I kinda had a feeling you did because you really weren't winning an Academy Award for the 'I fell down' routine."  
  
Shalimar studied his face. "It's okay if you're mad with me and don't want to see me anymore. I'll understand."  
  
"No, no, no. Are you crazy? I'm glad the bastard's dead. I even thought about killing him myself. A lot of the people at headquarters did. You did all new mutants a favor. Just be sure that Adam doesn't find out. I doubt he will though. No one's talking."  
  
Shalimar thought about telling him that Adam knew but quickly decided against it. "I still get flashbacks of that night I crashed the bike and what happened in the boxcar. Not as many as I used to though."  
  
"Well that's good. I'm sure it'll pass with time."  
  
Shalimar smiled and then leaned forward to kiss Brennan. "Thank you for being here for me, again."  
  
He kissed her back. "You can always count on me to be there for you. No matter what."  
  
She smiled as he took her in his arms and held her.  
  
  
  
  
  
A WEEK LATER  
  
Brennan and Shalimar entered the meeting room and took a seat opposite one another. Adam came in and shut the door. "So what's going on?" Brennan asked.  
  
Adam put some folders down on the table and then sat down. "Emma and Jesse are working on another assignment so this one is up to you two." As he shuffled some paper around Brennan and Shalimar looked at each other and shrugged. "About ten years ago I had done some research work with a man named Dr. Zachary Peters. He and I had discovered a new DNA code that would create the perfect human being. A human being free of disease or defects." Adam held up a photo of the doctor so they could see what he looked like. "He and I went our separate ways about a year after our findings and he disappeared."  
  
"So, I'm assuming you've found him," Brennan said.  
  
"Yes, about a week ago. And he's abusing what we learned by doing what Eckhart is doing. He's building indestructible mutants. Only he's a lot closer than Eckhart because he has this information." Adam folded his hands on the table. "I know of only one creation so far and I feel pretty confident that my reports are correct based on the information I received. I want you to make a visit to his lab and bring Zach and his mutant back here to me."  
  
"That seems like a pretty tall order for just Brennan and I," Shalimar said as she leaned back in her chair.  
  
"I know," Adam said with a sigh. "With Emma and Jesse away I have no choice. I think you two are up to it though. His lab is very small, nothing like Eckhart's. It should be easy to get in without a problem." Adam reached under the table and produced a small case. He opened it and took out a small gun. "This tranquilizer gun should immobilize Zach and his mutant without a problem. You've got about two hours before it wears off." He put it back in the case and handed it to Brennan. "I also want you to bring your handguns with you as a back up. Only use them if you have to. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes," Shalimar said as she felt her stomach begin to knot at the mention of a gun. Brennan nodded in agreement.  
  
"Okay. Take the VTOL aircraft and one of the SUV's. Shalimar, you'll stay outside in the SUV and monitor surveillance while Brennan goes into the lab to get Zach and his mutant. If you make it there around eight o'clock tonight he should be the only one there and usually leaves around that time." Adam waited for Shalimar to argue but she didn't. "Any questions?" Both Brennan and Shalimar shook their heads. "The details are loaded into your Palm Pilots. Why don't you review them before you get ready." Adam got up to leave.  
  
"So where will you be while we're off fetching this wacko?" Brennan asked.  
  
"I have to prepare our lab for their arrival. When that mutant wakes up he's going to be very cranky. I want to make sure we can contain him." Adam left the room.  
  
"Gee. That makes me feel a lot better about this. Not." Shalimar turned on her Palm Pilot and began to read over the details of the mission.  
  
"Yeah, no kidding. All I can picture is this eight-foot Barbaric guy that I'm gonna have to wrestle in order to reel in here."  
  
"I think we should go in together," she said as she looked at Brennan.  
  
Brennan thought about it but didn't want to go against Adam's orders. "No. I'll be fine. I'll signal to you if I need help. It should be a piece of cake."  
  
  
  
  
  
LATER THAT NIGHT – ZACH'S LAB  
  
Shalimar and Brennan kept close surveillance of the lab to see who was coming in and going out. There wasn't much activity, which was good. Brennan checked his watch and it was almost eight o'clock. "Okay. Wish me luck."  
  
Shalimar grabbed at the arm on his jacket. "Don't be a tough guy. If you need help you signal to me, you hear me?"  
  
"Yes, sir," he said as he leaned over and kissed her.  
  
She watched him make his way towards the building. Within a minute he disappeared inside. Shalimar scanned all around the area and found it to be clear. She had an uneasy feeling about the mission but put the feelings aside.  
  
  
  
Brennan made his way through a series of hallways and then encountered a guard by a steel door. He got out the tranq gun and shot the man in the neck. The man crumpled to the ground instantly.  
  
He opened the door and eased his way inside. "Shalimar? You with me?"  
  
"Every step of the way," she responded.  
  
"I just found a guard by a steel door in hallway C. I tranqed him."  
  
Shalimar scanned her files. "I don't see anything on here that says a guard was supposed to be in that area."  
  
"Well, he was. No biggie. Where do I go from here? I'm in another hallway with a bunch of doors."  
  
"Go down to the end and take the door on your left. There will be a surveillance camera in the room you enter but I'll turn it off before you get in there."  
  
"Got it." Brennan made his way to the door and entered the room. He quietly shut it behind him. "Now where? I'm in the room."  
  
"It should be ahead of you behind the next door."  
  
Brennan slowly approached the next door, keeping his tranquilizer gun in- hand. "Okay. I'm at the next door about to go into the lab. What's on the other side?"  
  
"I'm tracking two bodies. One near the door on your left and another on your right, further into the lab. The one on the right is lying down. That must be the mutant."  
  
"Here goes nothing." Brennan took a deep breath and began to open the door. He peeked his head inside and saw Zach by a computer. His back was towards him. Brennan raised his tranq gun and fired at the back of his neck. Zach fell to the ground in a heap. But just as he did, the mutant got up from his chair and came at Brennan, tackling him to the ground, knocking the tranq gun from his grasp. The mutant fought with him and punched him repeatedly. Brennan did his best to hold his own but the man was extremely powerful. He managed to gather up a bolt of electricity and fired it at the man, sending him flying across the room.  
  
Brennan grabbed the tranq gun and fired at him. It hit him in the chest but had no effect. The man got to his feet and seethed at Brennan like a mad dog. Brennan fired again, this time hitting him in the side of the neck and still it had no effect. "Shal, we have a problem. Godzilla is on the loose and isn't taking to the tranquilizer."  
  
"I'm on my way in," she said as she quickly took off her headset and tossed it on the dashboard.  
  
Brennan tucked the tranq gun in the back of his pants and took out his handgun, aiming it at the man. "Don't make me shoot you." The man didn't answer and just lunged at him. Brennan fired at him just as the man tackled him to the ground. The man grunted and rolled off of Brennan, looking down at the blood on his chest coming from the bullet wound.  
  
Brennan tried to get to his feet but the man grabbed Brennan's legs and knocked him down, the gun slipped from his grip and slid across the floor. At the same time, the tranq gun fell out of his waistband and slid over towards the man. The man picked it up and fired it at Brennan, knocking him out.  
  
Shalimar entered the room and saw the man standing above Brennan. The bullet wound in the man's chest was starting to close right before her eyes. "Shit," she mumbled under her breath. The man hadn't noticed her standing there and started to walk across the room to retrieve Brennan's handgun. Her legs felt like they were encased in cement and her mind was racing out of control.  
  
The man picked up the gun, turned and aimed it at Brennan. She immediately flashed back to the night she was shot, when that man held the gun on her in the boxcar. She quickly shook it off. "No!" she screamed as she reached behind her back and pulled out her gun. She raised her left arm and aimed it towards the man. The man took his attention off Brennan and focused it on her. Then he started to bring his arm around to point his gun at her, and that's when she fired a shot to his chest. The man stumbled backwards but soon recovered and fired his gun in her direction. She dove for cover behind a desk as the bullets smashed through a computer, sending a shower of sparks over her.  
  
She leaned over to see if she could see where the man was and saw that he was gone. Suddenly, bullets came flying her way again so she ran towards a row of machines that were to her right. She took cover behind them and could feel beads of sweat dripping down her face.  
  
Shalimar could hear the man coming towards her so she moved over to her right some more, closed her eyes and on a count of three she came out from her hiding place and began firing at the man, emptying her gun into him. The man fell to the ground, unmoving, in a pool of blood.  
  
She slowly walked towards him, picking up Brennan's handgun from where it laid by the man's side, tucking it in the front of her pants. Keeping a close eye on the man she saw that his eyes were still shut. She kneeled down beside him and began to put some restraints on him. In a flash, the man's hand flew towards her, hitting her in the face and sending her backwards sliding across the floor.  
  
The man got to his feet and headed her way. She grabbed the gun from her waistband and raised it towards him. Then he stopped. She kept the gun raised, not sure of what he was going to do next. But the gun was starting to feel heavier and heavier as she held it up. Her hand began to shake and the pain in her shoulder was getting worse. The man saw the pain on her face and began to laugh. Then it happened again, she flashed to the night in the boxcar when the man held her down with his foot. She focused back on the man in front of her as he inched towards her. She pressed the trigger and nothing happened. She pressed it again and again nothing happened. The man grabbed her by the front of her jacket and hauled her to her feet. He looked into her eyes and then threw her across the room, sending her crashing into a table of computers.  
  
She still held onto the gun and raised it again, attempting to fire, but nothing happened. Blood from a cut by her eye was starting to trickle into her eye, burning it and making it hard to see. The man stretched his arm out towards her to grab her again and she attempted to fire the gun once more. This time she was shocked when a bullet flew from the chamber and exploded right between the man's eyes.  
  
His eyes rolled back in his head and he crashed to the ground on his back. Shalimar got herself up and limped her way over to where Brennan was lying. She checked his pulse and noticed the tranq mark by his ear. She leaned over and kissed him before heading outside to pull the SUV closer to the building in order to get everyone out.  
  
  
  
BACK AT HEADQUARTERS  
  
Adam ran to the aircraft to help Shalimar. He gasped at the sight of her face, the cuts near her eye and the bruise forming around it from where the man sucker punched her. He touched her face as he surveyed the damage. "You okay?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah."  
  
"Take Brennan and meet me over in the medical unit. I'll take care of the other two." Adam wheeled Brennan towards her on a gurney-like table.  
  
  
  
Adam soon arrived in the medical unit and began to inspect her face again. She reached up and pulled his hands away from her face. "Help Brennan first. He's been out for a while."  
  
Adam turned and checked Brennan's vitals then gave him a shot near where he'd been tranquilized. They both looked on as Brennan began to wake up, squinting at the bright light. Shalimar flew to his side and held his hand, "Brennan?"  
  
He focused on her face, "Hey, Shal." He then started to notice the blood and bruise near her eye. "Geez! Are you okay?" he said as he bolted upright and cupped her chin with his hands.  
  
"I'm fine. That guy was a handful, huh."  
  
"You're telling me," he said as he rubbed his sore neck. "It was like babysitting King Kong."  
  
Adam patted him on the back. "I'm glad you're both okay. Good job out there." He turned to Shalimar and motioned for her to have a seat next to Brennan.  
  
She climbed up on the table and sat down, letting Adam tend to her cuts. As Adam cleaned them she hissed with pain as it stung. "Sorry." He continued with his work and managed to get one of the cuts to stop bleeding. "You should have some stitches on the one near your eyebrow." She nodded and Adam began preparing the process. As he began to sew up the cut he couldn't help but notice Brennan's arm around Shalimar, rubbing up and down her side. That's when he realized why she broke from his kiss.  
  
After he finished he placed a small, white bandage over it to help keep it from getting infected. He tossed her a small ice pack. "Keep that on there for a while, it should keep the swelling down." He started to walk out of the room but stopped when Shalimar called out to him.  
  
"Adam," she paused. "Thank you."  
  
He smiled and left the room.  
  
  
  
THE END 


End file.
